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Earthworms are back in my garden

Jo PetroniMar 10, 2022, 1:25:43 PM
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Earth worms are the soils tillers. They walk all day from the depth of the ground all the way to the surface and back. In their tummies goes the soil and out it goes again. Munch munch munch. 

From the bottom they get loam and deep minerals and from the surface they get nitrogen rich organic matter. In their voyage, the soil gets cleaned and loosened and good soil microbiology thrives. 

What earthworms like most is moisture and healthy soil.

I inherited this garden last year. A lot of different people had grown their veggies there, but now it had been untouched for a year or two. The soil was heavy and wet and grass was everywhere. Underneath the grass you could sometimes find remnants of veggies past. An onion patch, full of round flowers. Some leeks. Some rocket. I loosened the soil with my broadfork, but it was hard and empty of life.

It was mid-June already, but I did my best and there where some tomatoes and zucchini by August. Then lettuce up until big frosts. I gathered as much mulch as I could and covered the ground for the winter.

This weekend we had the first real sunny days of spring. So I went to my garden to check up on everything. I got the mulch off and loosened the ground with my hands.

"Yes, it's making couscous. Good." That's the soil texture I learned to look for from an old wise man.

I pulled some grass that had managed to pierce through the mulch and out came the loveliest surprise... My friends the worms where loving the soil I had prepared for them. There where big ones and small ones and grey ones and red ones! They where wiggling in my hand in the spring sun, joyful promise of a bountiful year. Hope of balance and life, in the madness of the world.

The future is uncertain. But in my garden, this year, the worms are back.